Thulamela is an ancient and sacred walled kingdom in Kruger National Park that unlocks some of the fascinating history of southern Africa
Category Archives: South Africa
MAKULEKE
Between two rivers and three countries, Makuleke Contractual Park in northern Kruger is a spectacular biodiversity and historical hotspot
A different safari – photographic hides
Fantastic images from a day in the photographic hides of Indlovu River Lodge in Karongwe Private Game Reserve near the town of Hoedspruit
“Living dead” – elephants in Kruger NP are sterilizing palm trees, says research
Elephants feeding on fan palm trees are preventing the palms from reaching full size & reproductive potential in Kruger NP, says new study
COVID-19 safari during lockdown: we test-drive
What will a Covid-19 safari be like under South Africa’s lockdown rules? We test-drive a lockdown safari in Timbavati, Greater Kruger
Meet the lion coalitions & prides of the Greater Kruger
Meet the famous Mapogos and other celebrity lion coalitions of the Greater Kruger – the warriors, the courageous and the notorious.
Baboon kidnaps lion cub
A baboon kidnapped a tiny lion cub in the Kruger National Park, and was seen grooming the dying cub in a large tree
Greater Kruger
The ‘Greater Kruger’ refers to 344,000 hectares (860,000 acres) of protected land to the west of Kruger National Park that provides a larger area for wildlife to roam freely. This additional land is owned by private and local community property owners.
Experience an art safari in the Big 5 Greater Kruger
Safari report-back: Art safari in Big 5 Greater Kruger with a professional wildlife artist. What my guests had to say. By Alison Nicholls
Klaserie Capers
He emerged silently from the gloom and ambled towards us with that gentle rocking gait that big bull elephants use to cover vast distances with minimal effort. His white tusks glowed in the moonshine, but otherwise, he was just a huge dark grey smudge that loomed larger by the second. The eight of us sat …
Walking Safari in the Greater Kruger
This walking safari got off to a rollicking start. The previous day I met up with my UK-based Africa Geographic colleague and long-time friend Christian Boix, two safari first-timers and our trail guides Hanri and AD and spent our first night in the mobile camp deep in the Greater Kruger. The husband and wife first-timers …
Samara – Rewilding the Great Karoo
It was late in the evening when we sat down for a beautifully prepared three-course dinner at the impeccably decorated Manor House in Samara – a private game reserve located near Graaff-Reinet in the Great Karoo. The main topic making the rounds was about the much-anticipated lion release, which took place earlier in the day. …
Penguins: What’s being done and how you can help
Cape Town is synonymous with many things, like Table Mountain, picturesque landscapes, beautiful beaches, and of course our iconic African penguin.
Big news as Kruger National Park 10-year management plan approved by Minister
South Africa’s Acting Minister of Environmental Affairs Derek Hanekom has officially approved the ground-breaking and visionary 10-year Kruger National Park Management Plan.
New citrus farm on Kruger border – have your say
A citrus farming enterprise has purchased a small but ecologically pivotal farm on the border of the Klaserie and Timbavati private nature reserves (Greater Kruger) near the town of Hoedspruit, and plans to develop a citrus orchard in this vital game reserve area.
Kruger Glamping
Glamorous camping (glamping) should be an authentic way of enjoying what safari used to be all about. But not too authentic, right? I mean you don’t want to have to catch your dinner or dig a pit latrine. Sure, do away with the permanent lodge structures, but I still want to feel safe and comfortable. …
Kruger’s roaming lions
“Never a dull moment in the bush” is something my husband and I tell each other all the time. Well, that is certainly true for the events of a few weekends ago when a male lion got out of our stunning Kruger National Park!
Kruger 10-year management plan
SANParks has released its Kruger National Park management plan covering the next 10 years. This 259-page report is essential reading for Kruger fans who enjoy debating the issues that the Kruger management team has to deal with on a regular basis, such as problem-animal management, hotels in Kruger and trophy hunting of free-roaming wildlife on reserves adjoining Kruger.
Tracking with the Ju/’Hoansi Master Trackers in Kruger
The last three Master Trackers of the Ju/’hoanis from Nyae Nyae in Namibia were invited to the Kruger in South Africa to participate in some pioneering trails. They came to display their extraordinary tracking prowess to guests participating in walking trails. This is an account of their journey.
Skye the lion hunting furore: Parliament wants Kruger NP agreement with private reserves revised
Environmental Affairs committee believes agreement between Kruger National Park and private reserves should be revised.
Epic Kruger
This epic photo gallery from Africa Geographic of special moments in Kruger National Park will have you booking your next safari with AG
History and future of the Kruger
It was a few years before the South African (Boer) War, in the late 1800s when President Paul Kruger (in office 1883 – 1900) was alerted by James Stevenson-Hamilton to the fact that a rapid extinction of various species of flora and fauna was taking place in South Africa. Unregulated hunting meant that wild animals …
Video: Battle of the boars
A field guide in the Kruger National Park witnesses an epic battle between to warthog boars.
Video: Lions make a comeback
With wild lions under pressure from so many threats, this is a wonderful story of lions being reintroduced to an area that used to have lions.
Guarding Limpopo National Park’s carnivores
A new carnivore protection ranger force, the Limpopo Lion Protection Team, has been trained and deployed – specifically assigned to support the Greater Limpopo Carnivore Programme and tasked with securing known lion ranges from targeted lion poaching.
There’s a Leopard in my Garden
One of the most popular requests from safari tourists to their guides is to see leopards. This is a tough task, even for the most experienced of guides, due to the elusive and cunning nature of these big cats. But there is a town called Hoedspruit, near the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo Province …
Manyeleti: The Place of Stars
Manyeleti Game Reserve is a bit of an open secret amongst those in the know. But the secret details depend on who you speak to. Jaundiced, local Kruger National Park die-hards have either never heard of it, or write the reserve off as not worthy of their holiday time (most never having been there). Others …
Art safari Q&A: What will I learn on my art safari?
Artist Alison Nicholls answers some frequently asked questions regarding the Africa Geographic Travel art safaris that she runs in the Kruger National Park and Madikwe in South Africa.
Lion relocation success: Somkhanda lions reveal their cubs
Four cubs have been spotted recently, sticking closely to their mom, at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is a true success story around wild lion and their translocation to one of the only community-owned reserves in the country.
Klaserie through the Lens
Safari trip report-back: at Klaserie in the Greater Kruger National Park is an epic destination for photographers. By Willem Kruger
Gory splendour: Lion cub and buffalo carcass
A greedy lion cub wants the buffalo carcass all to itself!
Tantalising Tswalu: The Kalahari’s diamond in the rough
It was like a scene out of the movie Jurassic Park. You know, that adrenaline-fuelled, chaotic scene when the bad guys arrive on the island in their vehicles and speed through the bush while dinosaurs scatter out of their way as they hunt for the ultimate dinosaur trophy. Well, this was like that, except I …
Continue reading “Tantalising Tswalu: The Kalahari’s diamond in the rough”
Pangolin research in the Kalahari
Little is known about how pangolins might cope with the direct and indirect effects of a changing climate. A PhD researcher is therefore investigating the body temperature, diet, and activity patterns of free-living ground pangolins in a semi-arid environment in South Africa.
Rediscovering Kruger
Living on the African continent, we have a vast array of protected areas to visit. Those of us with a travel-addiction and passion for wildlife endeavour to visit them all – the Okavango, Maasai Mara and Serengeti to mention just a few. However, we sometimes overlook what we have right on our doorstep, such as …
Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park: Protecting the “birthplace of rhino”
Over the past few months, Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal – managed by conservation agency Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife – has been hard hit by a significant escalation in rhino poaching. Ezemvelo has subsequently been hard at work developing more effective anti-poaching and resource management strategies. In support of this, Peace Parks Foundation has committed an additional R10,6 million towards the implementation of advanced technology solutions in this sacred rhino protection area.
South Africa’s top tourist attractions
If there was a checklist for the perfect travel destination, South Africa would tick most of the boxes. Famed for its amazing wildlife and landscapes, superb local cuisine, warm hospitality and great weather, (plus the added bonus that its affordable) it’s easy to understand why tourism is so big in South Africa.
Decoding Kruger’s ‘Elephant Management Plan’
The Kruger National Park is vast, at about 2 million hectares, and requires a thorough management strategy in order to ensure long term sustainability. Part of that strategy, The Elephant Management Plan – compiled by Kruger management and Scientific Service – is currently in force, and covers the period 2013 to 2022.
Kruger: Is this the technological future?
Presently, we are able to instantly globally share everything we see and hear in Kruger and just about every other destination on earth. Animal sightings and locations are given in real time and we are able to send photos and videos across a host of social media platforms.
Kruger: Impact of social media and mobile phones – good or bad?
Technology and social media have shaped the Kruger experience into something radically different from what it was ten years ago.
Magnificent Madikwe
Safari report-back: My wife and I spent two unforgettable days in Madikwe – the variety of wildlife encounters blew our minds. By Anton Kruger
Cape Town + bush safari combos
How does one exactly combine Cape Town’s summer splendours with a wild Big 5 bushveld safari? We provide four fantastic summer/autumn combos!
The best places to see wild lions in Africa
Aptly named the ‘King of Beasts’, lions are an iconic African wildlife species and are often high up on many travellers’ list of things to see when visiting Africa.
Is Madikwe the best malaria-free Big 5 safari experience?
After a few days in Madikwe we had already seen cheetahs, lions, wild dogs, spotted & brown hyenas, rhinos & elephants. By Marc de Chalain
Cycads need protection from poaching
Cycads are one of the most endangered species on this planet, it’s time we educate ourselves on how to save them from extinction.
Decisions and disasters: Materials for your Art Safari
Disasters involving art materials are nothing new to me after years of travelling and sketching in southern Africa.
Watch: Cape leopards caught on camera
The Cape Leopard Trust has caught many wondering Cape leopards in their camera traps across the remote Cape mountains and farmlands
Kruger- lodges vs self drive
The Kruger National Park is South Africa’s flagship national park. Wherever you are in the world, if you’re even remotely interested in the safari experience in Africa, you’ve likely heard of the Kruger. It offers a wilderness safari experience that is right up there with the best that Africa has to offer. There’s so much …
Madikwe safari delivers exciting predator encounters
Plenty of predator action and large herds of elephants in this Africa Geographic photographic safari to Madikwe in South Africa
Finding Africa’s rarest parrot – Cape Parrots in Magoebaskloof
A birding trip into the Magoesbaskloof in Limpopo, South Africa to find Africa’s rarest parrot
Kruger Walking Magic
This is a trip report of our five-night stay in the Kruger National Park, which included the three-night Mphongolo Backpack Trail – a trail that not only takes you into the largest wilderness area in the Kruger but also takes your soul to a deeper level than you could ever have imagined. Our travelling group, …
Kgalagadi versus Kruger
A daring comparison of two popular Southern African transfrontier parks.
Kruger2Canyons
As if Kruger wasn’t enough in itself, find out just how much there is to explore around it!
A fynbos safari
A three-night conservation programme at a new eco-camp in the Southern Cape.
Game Census Safari
A week of conservation activities in the Waterberg.
All-Inclusive Kruger
How to conquer Kruger when you’re pressed for time.
The Secret Garden Route
Off the beaten track in one of South Africa’s most loved tourist destinations.
Kruger Addicts
An Australian couple share why they are so crazy about Kruger National Park.
iSimangaliso: Park for the people
Discover the diversity of South Africa’s first World Heritage Site.
The Cape Winelands with a difference
Four Cap Classique-filled days spent discovering vineyards that are making a difference in the beautiful Cape Winelands.
Hermanus & the not so False Bay
The waterside wonders just beyond Cape Town.
Kgalagadi
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – a land of thirst with boundless wildlife.
Life in a Land of Thirst
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vast wildlife paradise and photographer’s dream. This fantastic image gallery will have you packing your safari bags
Deeper into Durban
GETTING UNDER THE SKIN OF SOUTH AFRICA’S VIBRANT EAST COAST CITY
A Rock Art Jewel
In 2009 I was commissioned to document a complex rock art panel on the roof of a shelter in a remote area of South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains. The area is out of bounds to the general public and required me visiting the site on three different occasions to capture all the relevant information from the …
The Big Five for a Small Price
But going there none of the songs playing in the minivan were ones that I had requested. We were on a team-building trip, en route to Djuma Private Game Reserve. Africa Geographic’s advertising manager, Adie, had emailed the team asking for music preferences, but she had forgotten the Pink Floyd I requested. She played Steve …
Photographing Life in the Desert
Wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner shares his experiences from living and working in the Kalahari
The Dark Side of the Kalahari
The Kalahari’s resident photographer, Hannes Lochner, gives us a glimpse of his latest work
Gallery – Southern Africa’s National Parks and Reserves
A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION
OF SOUTHERN AFRICA’S NATURAL HERITAGE
A honey badger after some honey
Chris Jek has a stroke of luck when he comes across a honey badger visiting a wild beehive in the Kruger National Park.
Glorious Goukamma Nature Reserve
Scott Ramsay goes to Goukamma Nature Reserve. He photographs Cape clawless otters, Fish Eagles and much more…
When my Grandad was a kid in the Kruger National Park
A holiday in the Kruger National Park is a family tradition – my Grandad & Dad visited the Park since they were little babies, and me too
Art on Safari
We invited artists and would-be artists of all skill levels into the bushveld on an art safari, armed with a drawing pad, brushes & pencils
